“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” Thoreau, Walden I am not a photographer. I realize too late, after the moment passes, that it was an opportunity to snap a picture. Yesterday I yearned for some inspiration. I decided to take a walk and pay attention to the earth. It is easy to slip into the doldrums of a “busy” life [...]
Inspiration
I remember watching Siskel & Ebert in my childhood living room. After a long session of studying, I turned on the television on late Sunday nights and caught their movie reviews. After learning about Mr. Ebert’s passing, I felt a sadness for a person I never met. I suspect it is because yet another staple of my past is gone. We are all victims of time’s clenched fist. The continuum of goodbyes always unsettles me. It magnifies how painfully I [...]
Last week, in the evening, I decided to take a walk in my neighborhood. My exercise of choice is usually a run, but on this particular day I ventured on a walk. Spring is abundant everywhere. I noticed the yellow flowers bloomed full in the Palo Verde tree. It is also the one time of year that pink buds blossom from the cacti, the contrast not lost on me, that even amongst thorns, beauty emanates. Sand dusts the sidewalks, birds are [...]
“What was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it was a wonder. It was not merely a world full of miracles; it was a miraculous world.” G. K. Chesterton All of us are submerged in the ordinary. The paths that we walk are structured like the lines on the palms of our hands. Over the last few years, I yearn to circle around the perimeter of my life, paying attention to a momentary glimpse that allows me to walk [...]
Every few months, I read Anna Quindlen’s A Short Guide to a Happy Life. After reading it again and again, various passages speak to me at different times. This past week I reflected on these words: “C’mon, let’s be honest. We have an embarrassment of riches. Life is good. I don’t mean in a cosmic way. I never think of my life, or my world, in any big cosmic way. I think of it all in its small component [...]
For the last several weeks, I’ve intersected with a sign that says, ”Your story matters”. I love the brown butterfly wings, the emphasis on the word, “Your,” and how the hand-carved message is etched into aged wood. Sometimes I spill my way through each day, trying to catch the drops of moments that keep streaming down the perimeter of my life glass. There is so much that I have to do and so much I want to do. Between moments [...]
At one point, I know everyone has asked the question: “Would I be happier if I looked like that person?” Envy is everywhere and we all fall prey to it. It is our perceived perception of image that lends credibility to the person who we think they may be. Irrelevant is who they really are inside. The TED talks are integral in understanding various aspects of human nature. I invite you to take ten minutes out of your day to [...]
“Forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen These words keep somersaulting in my head. There is so much wisdom in these lyrics. Isn’t it a truth that we all intrinsically know, but somehow deny every time? In this space, for almost three years, I’ve catalogued my obsession with my restless spirit and my unending need to adhere to certainty. As I write today, I know where my [...]
“Do you know what I want for my birthday, Momma?” She moves around the living room on her mobile scooter, giggling as she poses her question. She scoots behind me and I smell time passing. She can no longer be cuddled in my arms. For the last few months, I’ve struggled to lift her into my grip. Yet another sign that letting go is always in the horizon. My thoughts are interrupted with her giddy voice, “Momma, are you going [...]
Another year is ending. As time passes, I cling more to each minute. Every second is filled with wonder and this year there is no exception. These are some of my favorites of this past year. This exercise always fills me with such gratitude. To savor and pay homage to the light in my life. A short capsule of the gems I relished this past year: Favorite Reads: Every year I always want to read more. And this year was [...]
